Pep Guardiola ‘a little bit sad’ about Rafael Nadal’s retirement as he uses apt word to describe Big Three
Pep Guardiola says Rafael Nadal decided to step away from tennis as he knew he could no longer compete at the highest level as the legendary football coach also discussed his admiration for the Big Three of Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
More than two decades after turning professional, tennis legend Nadal will bow out after this year’s Davis Cup Finals.
In an emotional video, the 22-time Grand Slam winner said: “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.
“But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”
Nadal made the decision on the back of two difficult years as he has played very little tennis due to injury and Manchester City manager and big tennis fan Guardiola admitted he was “a little bit sad” about the announcement.
“I think it happened because he saw that he cannot be or compete in the level that he had been for two decades, but I admire all of them, all three,” he said on Sky Sports’ One on One series and podcast.
With Federer retiring in 2022 and Nadal stepping away at the end of this season, Djokovic will be the last man standing of the Big Three.
The trio have dominated tennis over the past 20 years, winning 66 Grand Slams between them, as they also set numerous records along the way.
Guardiola has often been described as a genius when it comes to football management as he has won three La Liga titles and two Champions League titles with Barcelona, three Bundesliga trophies with Bayern Munich and now six Premier League and one Champions League title with Manchester City.
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The Spaniard knows what it takes to be exceptional in a particular field so no surprise he used the word “geniuses” to describe the Big Three.
He added: “I admire the consistency of ‘The Big Three’ every single season being there and never giving up, coming back from the setbacks.
“I admire all of them, so for me they are three geniuses. I tried to learn a lot from their body language, how they behave in the bad moments, how strong they are mentally, and of course the talent and skill.
“I think all three will be missed – but still Novak Djokovic can enjoy it – but the three will be missed.”
But Guardiola didn’t just learn lessons from the Big Three when they were winning as he believes it was important to study the greats when they faced adversity.
“I would always pay attention to the way tennis players look at the ball with their eyes and how they behave in certain moments. I also want to see how losers react in the next match,” he said.
